Method and apparatus for separating ore particles



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J. WEAT ERBY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARAT-ING O RE PARTICLES Original Filed July 2l, 1922 Dec. 8, 1925.

Patented Dec. s, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

JOSEPH'WEATHERBY, OF HARRISBURG, PEININSYLVANIA,hASSlGrNOR TO WEATHERBY OBE SEPARATOR COMPANY, OF PHILADELEHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATNG ORE` PARTICLES.I

Original application filed July 21, 1922, Serial No. 576,622. 'Divided and thisepplication filed February To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, J osErH VVEA'rr-IBHBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in `the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, `have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s in Method and Apparatus for Separating Ore Particles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had'to the accompanying drawings, forming part of 'this specification.

My invention Vrelates to an improved method of separating ore particlesv from their gangue, and one ore-from another, depending on their susceptibility-to alternating current magnetic flux and their perme- 'able or non-permeable qualities, this application being a division of my ending application Serial No. 576,622, fi ed July 21, 1922, entitled Method of separating ore particles. My invention more particularly relates to the separation of ore particles from their gangue and of one particular ore :from another, by the use of multi-phase alternating current in the e of. magnetic 4separator shown in drawings attached and vdescribed in the following specication.

In the drawings-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the multiphase alternating current field magnet under the ore` feed board.

' Figure 2 shows two multihasealternating current magnets mounte above an ore ,feed board .with an armature for the lower field magnet mounted below it and under the ore feed board. Fig. 3 shows the diamondshaped overv40 lapping coils of the field magnets where one side of the coil is in the top of one slot of the-field magnet, andthe other side of the coil in the bottom of a further slot. to form north and south poles, and also showing the electrical connections 'suitable for three phase alternating current. l Fig. 4 shows a section of an armature with its single pole woundcoils and electrical connections.

Figure 1 shows an ore feed'board Serial No. 690,582.

adjustably mounted on adjusting bolts 37 above a lield magnet composed of a plurality of units 26. The device is on such a slant that if granular ore is fed to the top 64 of the feed board it will flow by gravity to and over the bottom edge 65 of the board to a. discharge (not shown).

Now if a multiphase alternating current is switched on the and overthe edge 65 of the bottom of the board, while the metallic particles will take an electrical charge due to the alternating magnetic flux passing from thel ield magnet up through them. rlhese particles, if permeable magnetically, will be attracted toward the board 45 and be forced to move with the rotating magnetic field to the left .of the board and away from the gangue material 'and will be' discharged at the bottom by weakening the currentiin the lastl few coils in a tapering way to a pointwhere the ore is not susceptible so that these magnetically permeable particles will flow off the board atthe lower left hand corner while those' particles which are metallic and not permeable magnetically will be repelled in the re.- verse direction'to and the feed board. Y

It might Vhere be noted that every ore particle no matter how-'ne it is ground to a powder, takes its own individual electrical i charge in the lieldand acts entirely as its own agent independent of its neighbor in the rapid travel following the rotating alternatover the right edge of ing current field, and therefore 'spins and gyrates in its travel throwing all other particles away` from it.

In Fig. 2 are shown two field magnets with their adjustable spacer boards l40 mounted above a feedboard 45. The top. magnet does not have anv armature, but the lower field magnet has an armature 30 .swung below the feed board. The upper field is arranged'to discharge its concentrate on one side while the lower field magnet discharges its concentrate on the other side of the feed board 45. This arrangement is used to remove la magnetic susceptible substance from a non-magnetic metallic substance, and both from a gangue material. Or by this arrangement one mag- As above stated, the field magnet can: be used without an armature 30, the object of the armature being merely to intensify or concentrate lthe magnetic field to improve the power'factor and further crease the distancel in which ore is susceptible to the field inuence.

The field magnet has coils and is connect-I ed as shown in section Fig. 3,l while the armature has single pole coils and is connected as shown in Fig. 4. It will be noted that the diamond shaped coils on the field magnet are connected three phase star multiple. It is just as well to state here that the coils may be connected vin any\of the well known ways, such as in star series, delta, delta series, etc. it willv also benoted that the armature coils in Fig. 4 are in closed circuited. -Either type can be used on either armature orfield to meet di'fferent conditions in the ore -to he separated, :as

" each type has peculiar features that can -be used advantageously-in various ways. j

In the followingdescription I describe'v the diamond-overlappin .'coil on the field and the single pole 'coi on the armature,

t this .being `the preferable construction.

to-and advance withlthe Now consider .that a three phaseV alternating I current has been switched on the field-ma 'fnet-'and current is owing-in jall-thej s .A,l B and C, etc.

An adjustable v resistance. or an impedace is used on' thela'stL'feW coils of "the eIdmagnet to taper their magnetic strength in such a way thateach d following tooth or pole is weaker in ma neticv strength than the one before-lit." This` 'is done to permit'magnetic susceptible'ore particles to be released and to drop swag from vtherotating. .or progressingf-el This, is not necessary in the 'case ofA nonmagnetic .metallic 'substances as they are re-- pe ed by andv away from the rotating field, while the. magnetic are a 'to here poles as v11cm-magnetic metallic su -fto jump up'and down violently d progression, es well as to spin thus :themselves from the gang'ue material which that ore 1 :It is4 to 'be noted nte-maa l' No provisions have as yet been made for the connection of the terminal wires leading from the armature with the exce tion short circuited or closed. Current is now .fiowing in all the field coils and all the teeth or poles are energized with a rotating magnetic field.

Magnetic flux is now flowing throu h the field magnet out the tips of the -po es or teeth and across the air gap to the armature teeth through the armature, backjthrough the V-teeth and air gap to the field poles or teeth again. .This sets up a strong magnetic field in the armature lteeth by induction whichrotates in step with that of" the field magnetism that energizes it. The

current is alternating, therefore the* magnetic flux alternates back and forth across back to north again very rapidly, as for in'- stance 'in 60 cycle current they wouldlchange y polarity 7200 times per minute.

When lthe coils on the armature are open The armature iron is ma etized by the field flux flowing .throng crcuited no current flows -through them."

it. Magnetic permeable particles have a tendency to' f bridgeA between the armature poles and the -eld' poles, even though they are spinning in step with the frequency.

When thefarmature coils are in a c10sed,

Fig. 4,` .current flows in them j' causing/ga part connected series starvwhile the rest areg-'eounter flux to be set up vin the armature' which opposes the field fiux that energizes it, thus causing the permeable orev partlcl'es pelled in the direction of." the "fieldl lrepelled 'away from lthe magnetic. I field in `the armature'ooils are op? or closed :for

tances.. ABy# 1in.- termittngly'-opening. and clcsilngthearmatrecoilspermeable-'oreparticles are' caused tendsto adhere to. them. l

Itjwillu new be consideredthat all the varmature a'rein a .closedcircuit and that the feld'm f ets are tilted .to such anv A between fthe' field andai-mature, to: afdisc arge they travel with therotating Since non-magnetic metallic 'substancesare their t that there are no mov-v` ing 'parts'on of se '.arator and that allore moves-by one, or isforced to travel. with-917 amat-gravity by the .1,30

' circuit as shown in the last ,three coils of 4 1in Y 'any' case, it makes' little difference' `wluvath'er.`

se flow down the 4f er. boardyin Y strengt from gan Lenaweel The gate of the hopper (notishown) is entering the field even though they are as fine as dust, have natural polarity and will start to spin rapidly when the lalternating flux passes through. them trying to present force, thus freeing themselves from gangue material, and one-from the other. They are also repelled from the armature poles and in the direction of the field poles and they are inuenced to' travel with the rotating magnetic field. They travel down 'on theunder side of spacer board 40 atgreat speed, much faster than the gangue that is Iflowing by gravity on the feeder board 45. When they reach the bottom of the spacer board 40 as the currentin the lower coils is tapered and weakened, they drop away from the rotating field to the discharge.

It often happens that magnetic materials are sluggish and will not travel in step with the rotating field dropping back in phase or slipping, and in such a case it is required that a more violent agitation be imparted to 'the magnetic material traveling with the' rotating field. In such a c ase it is arranged that the armature coils be intermittingly opened and' closed, which causes the ore particles to violently jump up and down.be tween armature and field as well as spin while they are traveling to their discharge with the rotating lield currents, as thea-rmature is first attractive when the coils are opened and thenrepellent when the coils are closed. l

What I claimis: g

l. The Vart of -electrically separating permeable particles from gangue which conc sists in passing a mixture of particles and gangue between a progressive multi-phase magnetic field 'nd an induced field.

2. The art of electrically separating two permeable 'particles from each other and mixture' o particles and gangue past two progressive 4multi-phase fields of different hs. Y l

3. The art of separating magnetic p articles from gangue which consists in passing the mixture of particles and gangue across 'a multi-phase` progressive eld which moves transversely to the path of the mixture, in

increasing the frequency of said field until maximum movement of the particles is secured, and in continuing the vcurrent. in the Afield at vsaid responsive frequency;

4. The art vof `separating magnetic. ore particles from .gangue which consists in e which'consists inpassing a passing a mixture of gangue and particles between a multi-pole electro-magnet and 'an armature, said magnet having a multi-phase progressive magnetic 4field transversely movseparating gangue between two insulating surfaces andV through a progressive field moving transversely to the path of themixture.

6. The art of electrically separating permeable 'particles from gangue which consists in passing the mixture of particles and gangue through an edge only of the progressive field moving, transversely to the path of the mixture.'

'7. The art of electrically .separating permeable particles from gangue which consists in passing the mixture of particlesand gangue through the curved portions only of the lines offorce of a progressive field moving transversely to the path of' the mixture.

8. The art of electrically separating permeable particles from gangue which consists in passing the mixture .of particles and' gangue between two progressive fields moving transversely to the path `of the mixture while restraining said mixture from crossing the straight and nearly straightv portions -of the lines of force of each of said fields. Y

,9. The art of electrically separating permeable particles from gangue which consists in passing the mixture of particles and vgangue between two noni-,metallic surfaces and from a progressive field whereby the mixture is caused to move in the edge only `of said field, and the magnetic particles are caused rto travel along the 'upper' of said surfaces and to move transversely to the path of the gangue. 1

10.- The art of electrically separatin tw'o magneticV ores of different susceptiiilit from each other and from gangue, whic consists in passing the mixture of particles and gangue down a gravity chute and successively underprogressive fields of different strengths, one Afield moving to the rightA with' respect to the chute and the other fie d moving to the left Vwhereby the gangue will pass down the chute, the particles of one ore will passl to one side of the chute,

and the articles of the other ore will pass beneath a `non-metallic board beneath -a lmagnet having 'a progressive multi-phase f field, whereby the magnetic particles will rise against gravity from the path o the gangue and'will follow said field to one side of saidtravel of the gangue and out of contact therewith.

12. The art ofy separating magnetic ore particles from gangue, which consists in passing a mixture of gangue and particles between a. multi-pole electromagn'et and an armature, said magnet having a multi-phase progressive magnetic fieldinoving trans' versely with respect to the path of the mixture, said armature being p/a/'ticle attractive beneath the path of the mixture, and being particle repellant in the path of the particles beyond the path of the gangue.

13. rlhe process of claim 12 in which the magnet has its coils tapered, so' that each successive path or pole is weaker in magnetic strength than the one before it.

14. In combination, a sloping feed board,

the coils of said field magnet being ta ered in magnetic strength so that each po e decreases in magnetic strength in accordance with its distance to one side of said feed board y 15. In a device for separating permeable particles from gangue, a non-magnetic feed chute, a plurality of spacer boards, a multiphase alternating current magnet above each spacer board, one of said magnetsextending to the right of the feed chute, and the other extending to the left, and each magnet adapted to produce a traveling field transversely of the feed chute.

JOSEPH WEATHERBY. 

